The Lakers trailed by as many as 38 points in Tuesday's 124-98 loss at Golden State, with reserves outscoring the starters even in defeat. Three days removed from a 127-103 win over these same Kings, the teams meet again Thursday with different numbers to weigh.
Thirty-Eight Points Down
Golden State's lead reached 38 in Tuesday's 124-98 result, the widest margin either preseason game has produced. That number says the lead got large; it does not say how a healthier rotation would have responded, since several regulars sat out. Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 15 on 6-for-10 shooting with three 3-pointers made on four attempts, yet finished minus-20, a reminder that individual efficiency and team result can point in opposite directions. Quentin Grimes and Jake LaRavia matched the game's worst mark at minus-24 apiece. LaRavia posted nine points on 3-for-7 shooting in the same losing effort, two games into a preseason that has already shown wide swings for several rotation players.
Reserves Carry the Split
Lakers reserves outscored the starters 51-47, continuing early signs that the bench can produce without the top of the roster on the floor. That gap is a preseason sample, not a rotation promise, Thursday included. Dalton Knecht's plus-3 in 22 minutes was the only positive mark on the roster; Jaden Hardy's 13 points in 19 minutes was the next-best reserve total. Hardy's 13 points came on 4-for-12 shooting, a sign that volume did not equal efficiency in the loss. None of it changes a 0-0 record that still means nothing until the regular season opens October 21.
A Kings Rematch, Reversed
Three days before Tuesday's loss, the Lakers beat this same Sacramento team 127-103, a 24-point swing in the opposite direction. Two results that lopsided in one week say the preseason rotation is still settling, not that either team is fixed at either level. Sacramento finished last season 22-60 with a net rating of minus-9.7, numbers built before Zach LaVine and Maxime Raynaud logged real minutes in that system, so Thursday's version of the Kings is not fully captured by last year's figures.
Why did the Lakers lose by 26 points to the Warriors?
Golden State built its lead to 38 points across the game, and the Lakers never closed the gap despite 15 points from Sandro Mamukelashvili.
Did the Lakers already play the Kings this preseason?
Yes. Los Angeles won the first meeting 127-103 on October 5, three days before Thursday's rematch on ESPN2.
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